Lights out on Fresolo’s departure

Saturday

May 25, 2013 at 6:00 AM

The resignation Wednesday of state Rep. John Fresolo, who had represented the 16th Worcester District, marks the end of a 15-year political career. While the outcome was probably inevitable given allegations of what Speaker Robert A. DeLeo labeled “serious violations” of House ethical standards, it is still unacceptable that constituents and taxpayers will not learn what those violations were alleged to have been.

Agreeing not to speak about the matter further may well have served both Mr. Fresolo’s purposes and those of the House, sparing all parties a protracted and potentially tawdry public fight. Silence does not, however, serve the greater public good. Rather, it leaves the public to guess what Mr. Fresolo could possibly have done to warrant what was, in effect, his expulsion from the Legislature. The public is simply left unable to make an informed judgment of how serious his transgressions may have been, and how they might compare to the lamentable litany of other misdeeds by past Massachusetts politicians.

Public servants serve at the pleasure of voters and taxpayers. Their salaries and perks are paid for by those same voters and taxpayers. Different rules apply than would apply to the private sector. Drawing a veil of secrecy over the departure of any lawmaker should simply not be an option.

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